11And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse have built an altar at the borders of the land of Chanaan at Galaad of Jordan, on the opposite side to the children of Israel.
12And all the children of Israel gathered together to Selo, so as to go up and fight against them.
13And the children of Israel sent to the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and to the sons of the half tribe of Manasse into the land of Galaad, both Phinees the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest,
14and ten of the chiefs with him; there was one chief of every household out of all the tribes of Israel; (the heads of families are the captains of thousands in Israel.)
15And they came to the sons of Ruben, and to the sons of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasse into the land of Galaad; and they spoke to them, saying,
16Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, What is this transgression that you° have transgressed before the God of Israel, to turn away today from the Lord, in that you° have built for yourselves an altar, so that you° should be apostates from the Lord?
17Is the sin of Phogor too little for you, whereas we have not been cleansed from it until this day, though there was a plague amongst the congregation of the Lord?
18And you° have this day revolted from the Lord; and it shall come to pass if you° revolt this day from the Lord, that to-morrow there shall be wrath upon all Israel.
19And now if the land of your possession be too little, cross over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the tabernacle of the Lord dwells, and receive you° an inheritance amongst us; and do not become apostates from God, neither do you° apostatize from the Lord, because of your having built an altar apart from the altar of the Lord our God.
20Behold! did not Achar the son of Zara commit a trespass taking of the accursed thing, and there was wrath on the whole congregation of Israel? and he himself died alone in his own sin.
21And the sons of Ruben, and the sons of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasse answered, and spoke to the captains of the thousands of Israel, saying,
22God even God is the Lord, and God even God himself knows, and Israel he shall know; if we have transgressed before the Lord by apostasy, let him not deliver us this day.
23And if we have built to ourselves an altar, so as to apostatize from the Lord our God, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of whole burnt offerings, so as to offer upon it a sacrifice of peace-offering, —the Lord shall require it.
24But we have done this for the sake of precaution concerning this thing, saying, Lest hereafter your sons should say to our sons, What have you° to do with the Lord God of Israel?
25Whereas the Lord has set boundaries between us and you, even Jordan, and you° have no portion in the Lord: so your sons shall alienate our sons, that they should not worship the Lord.
26And we gave orders to do thus, to build this altar, not for burnt offerings, nor for meat-offerings;
27but that this may be a witness between you and us, and between our posterity after us, that we may do service to the Lord before him, with our burnt offerings and our meat-offerings and our peace-offerings: so your sons shall not say to our sons, hereafter, You° have no portion in the Lord.